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July 2003
JULY MEETING JuLY
14, 2003 Miltonias Mark Bamber of Out On A Limb Orchids intends to speak about Miltonias as well as a general talk about pests and diseases. As always, I'm sure he'll have lots of great slides to show and tons of useful and interesting information to share with us. – Jerry Hoffmeister Beginner's program (starts at 6:30 p.m.): This month, Jerry Hoffmeister will be on hand to answer your questions. Feel free to bring in your plants if you have questions about a specific plant or plants. If you believe your plant has an insect infestation, please bring it in a plastic bag so to not spread them to other members plants. Plant Table: Bring your blooming plants to show! Sales Table: Members may bring up to 10 plants to sell. Raffle: Win a new orchid for your collection and support NWOS. NEXT MONTH Sunday,
August 10, 2003 to be held at 12 noon at Out on a Limb Orchids on Camano Island. Details and directions in the next issue. Got a suggestion for a speaker or program? November 2003 and most of 2004 is currently open and first vice president Jerry Hoffmeister is interested in knowing what you would like to hear about at upcoming meetings. E-mail at jerry@hoffmeisters.com or call him (206-932-9912) with your suggestions. HAPPY NEW YEAR Welcome to a new year on the NWOS calendar. For 2003-2004, we welcome three new trustees on our board‹Mike Boyd, Al Mysiewicz and Andy Wright‹and thank all of our returning board members and trustees. We're also presenting a fresh look for the Northwest Orchid News this month [not as noticeable for our online readers]. Our goal is to make it easy and appealing to read. We also rely on you--our readers and proud NWOS members--to help provide content to keep our newsletter interesting. Whether it is photos of your latest bloom, growing tips on your favorite species or a review of an event you attended or book you read (related to orchids, naturally), anything is welcome. We have a new e-mail address for newsletter suggestions and submissions: You can also send submissions via regular mail to my home address (listed in the directory) or the NWOS postal box. PICNIC IN THE ISLANDS FOR AUGUST Sunny summer weather is great for orchids and orchid lovers alike--it's perfect weather for our August picnic! This year we are heading out to Camano Island to enjoy the sun and the flowers at Out On A Limb Orchids, courtesy of member Mark Bamber. Unlike the last several years, there will not be an auction at this year's picnic (that's being saved for the Fall). The picnic will be held on Sunday, August 10, beginning at 12 noon. The picnic takes the place of our regular August meeting. Members are welcome to bring family and friends and enjoy the (hopefully) sunny day in the country. Next month's newsletter will have directions and more information about the picnic but we wanted to be sure everyone got it on their calendars! FROM THE PRESIDENT What nice weather we are having! I wonder what the weather is like in Alaska. Anchorage, Alaska to be exact. And why you may ask. Because in less than 10 hours from this writing I will be in Alaska looking for orchids. Do any of you remember when I had Ron Coleman come talk to us about orchids in Alaska? I was so taken by his talk that I decided I, too, would have to go to the land of the midnight sun and look at these orchids. It's also convenient that I also happen to have a good friend who I haven't seen in a while who lives there. I will arrive on the same day that he did and go to the same spots that he went to and I will be poking around in the wood on my own. I just got a digital camera so when I get back I will have plenty of photos to share. Now is the time to be putting as much of your collection outside as you can so that your plant can benefit from the great summer weather. This year I am putting all of my phrags out. I have found in the past that the plants that like high light situations really benefit from a summer outdoors. Sometimes it's the only way to get them to bloom. Well, got to go my ride's here. See you all at the next meeting and don't forget to go to Mark Bamber's for the picnic in August. Jamie
Notman ORCHID CONSERVATION: THE NEED FOR A BALANCED AND RATIONAL APPROACH No matter what your level of involvement in the orchid growing community— whether a preeminent scientist or a beginning hobbyist—one of the most crucial topics you should be concerned about is orchid conservation. This is an issue in which we all have a lot at stake; consequently, we must all make a concerted effort to promote orchid preservation around the world. Orchid protection takes primarily two forms, in situ and ex situ conservation. Both must be employed to ensure the survival of as much biodiversity as possible, both in the orchid family and among other endangered species. Parks and Refuges in Areas of High Biodiversity In situ (meaning "in place") conservation involves protecting the natural habitat where a species occurs in nature. This is particularly important in regions whose heightened biodiversity index makes them a nexus of orchid speciation. New Guinea in the Indo-Pacific and the northwestern corner of South America are prime examples of regions with very high biodiversity and endemism (species that occur no where else). Setting aside permanent parks and other kinds of protected habitat in these regions pays huge dividends in terms of the numbers of species protected and the diversity of genetic material conserved for the future. Unfortunately, in situ conservation is not always a viable option—habitats may be too fragmented to be sustainable, pollinators or other components of a species' lifecycle may no longer be present due to indiscriminate pesticide use or other modifications of the biome, private land owners may be unsympathetic and uncooperative with conservation initiatives, or the species may simply have been grossly overcollected by unscrupulous orchid fanciers (this is a particular threat for large, showy species like Phragmipediums and Paphiopedilums). In these cases, the species' only hope for survival may be in the botanical collections of institutions and private individuals around the world. Cultivation Helps Ensure Survival Ex situ ("outside its place") conservation is an important tool in the world of orchid conservation. Some orchid species are entirely extinct in their natural habitats—if not for the efforts of orchid breeders to propagate these species in captivity, they would be lost forever. For example, Epidendrum ilense, a beautiful epiphytic orchid from the lowlands of western Ecuador, is entirely extinct in the wild due to deforestation and rampant modification of its natural range to accommodate agricultural interests (primarily banana and palm plantations). Fortunately, a few plants were collected and distributed into the hands of orchid fanciers before the wild population was eliminated. Today we can enjoy Epidendrum ilense, and its genetic information can continue to be a part of the Earth's biodiversity catalog, because prudent people foresaw the need to preserve this species in their collections. In vitro conservation is a crucial link in the chain of orchid species preservation. If you have the right growing conditions, consider helping with this distributed task of maintaining species by purchasing species seedlings from reputable breeders and conservation-minded growers. Hundreds (maybe even thousands) of orchid species disappear every year as natural habitats around the world are slashed and burned in the name of "progress" and development. Both habitat protection and responsible salvage operations are needed to protect these species. CITES: A Mixed Blessing CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species), an international treaty which restricts world trafficking in endangered animals and plants, also strictly controls orchids. Most nations of the world, including the United States and the European Union countries, are signatories. Among orchid scientists, preservationists and conscientious environmentalists, CITES is a mixed blessing and often a source of disagreement. While the CITES treaty has helped to save the rhino and the elephant, CITES restrictions often make it difficult to save endangered orchid species which would otherwise find their way into public botanical gardens and private collections. CITES currently prohibits the export of plants "salvaged" from an area destined to be burned, bulldozed or drowned behind a new dam. Without the financial incentive of the money to be recouped by selling the salvaged plants, it is very difficult to organize local efforts to collect orchids and other epiphytes prior to a forest's cutting or the construction of a hydroelectric project. Small numbers of plants can be relocated locally, but most suitable relocation sites already host their own flora. When an entire hillside is cut down or an entire valley flooded, the only real recourse for relocation is to move the salvaged stock into cultivation. CITES forbids this, however, and that is why many people in the orchid world have mixed feelings about this international treaty. CITES is great for protecting animals, and does help to protect plants from unjustified collecting and overzealous exportation—but it does not tend to do a very good job of protecting plants whose habitats are being destroyed. The regulations that govern the salvaging and relocation of orchids, as well as the movement of plants into cultivation, need to be redrafted to facilitate improved conservation of plants that are otherwise destined to disappear under the floodwaters or beneath the chain saws of developing nations. Joseph Dougherty, courtesy of OrchidMania VOLUNTEERS SOUGHT FOR FALL SHOW PLANNING The Fall Show is approaching and the plans are in the works. Our Show Committee has met and made some progress. The first round of invitations have been sent to the vendors and we await the responses. We are processing poster ideas, awards, advertising, layout and design of the room, ticket distribution, sponsorship and lots of little extras. It takes a lot of hard work and hands to put on a big show like our Fall Show and we are always looking for help. If you would like to lend your own special talents, expertise or ideas to the show committee, please volunteer. Our show committee meetings are very informal. We get together about once a month at my house in North Seattle at 7:00 p.m. I usually have some food and drinks for the committee. We follow an agenda to keep it moving, and we get a lot accomplished in an evening. There are many tiny things that make it all work out, and our team is awesome. Advertising is the biggest job. The posters, flyers, TV, radio and printed news, word-of-mouth, contests, promotions, distributions...it all adds up to a huge job. We all take a small part to make it easier, and in the end we are rewarded with (hopefully) a great turn-out. The show/sale is the other big piece of committee planning. The venue, which is the Snoqualmie Room at the Seattle Center, is just a big box. We have the task of making it into a spectacular showroom for exotic orchids. One half of the room will be sales and the other for displays. The committee will work on designs and table placements, as well as art displays and traffic flow. Having done this a few times, we all know a little of what is in store for us. Let me know if this exciting planning is something you would like to be a part of. Do you dabble in art? Have you ever had a display idea? Do you know people who have skills or businesses that might be interested in helping us? Give me a call. I will let you all know who has responded to the invitations in the next newsletter. The deadline is not until July 3, so there is plenty of time. Robin Kemph, Show Committee Chair KEMPH HONORED WITH GARY BAKER SERVICE AWARD Each year, the Gary Baker Service Award is presented to an individual who has performed outstanding service to the Society. This year it was Robin Kemph who took home the etched crystal trophy to keep over her mantlepiece for the year. Robin is starting her second year as secretary for the Society and also serves as chair of the Show committee. Although, she'll confess that her personal orchid collection fits on a windowsill, she has been a tireless volunteer with the NWOS for several years. Prior to taking over the huge responsibility of the Show committee last year, she produced our newsletter for a year (no small feat itself). The hard work (always done with a warm smile) that Robin has put in has resulted in several successful shows and she and her committee have big plans for Fall. Congratulations to Robin and many thanks for all her efforts! HAVE YOU RENEWED? It's that time of year again. Time to renew your NWOS membership, that is. Dues are unchanged from last year—a very reasonable $20 for an individual membership and $25 for a joint membership (two adults in a household). How do you know if you need to renew? For those people receiving the electronic newsletter, the e-mail sent to you this month will let you know if your membership is expiring. A membership renewal form can be downloaded as a PDF file.
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